Friday | A March Knitting Update

First of all – Thank you all for your well-wishes on Wednesday’s post. Colton is still coughing, but he was fever-free yesterday so I’m pretty sure he’s going to school today (for the first day this week!). I’m still fighting a fever but am feeling much better overall. And last night I was up and down with Bronwyn, who now has a fever and a cough. So it looks like this cold is cycling through most of us but is making its way out the door (I hope!).

Today’s post is a quick knitting update. I have a few lingering projects that I haven’t shared in quite a while and posting about projects always motivates me to work on them. I apologize in advance for the pictures – I didn’t have any natural light when I took them!

I have been very slowly working on my Inclinations Cowl (my Ravelry link with the yarn details) since last summer. I probably don’t have to tell you that it’s been kind of a slog given how long it’s taken me to get this far. The fisherman’s rib is so pretty, but it requires me to look at the stitches as I’m knitting so that limits the circumstances in which I’m able (and willing) to work on it.

BUT! I’m finally to the decrease section and that means that every repeat gets two stitches shorter. That is so motivating! I managed to work on this quite a bit in late February and early March but haven’t picked it up in the last couple of weeks. I’m hoping this update will give me the incentive I need to push through.

Why keep working on it if it’s such a slog? Because I think this is the style of neck wrap that fits my life better. I love triangular shawls but they never stay on me, no matter how carefully I wrap them. I think I might crawl around on the floor a bit more than a typical 39 year old woman? (Although I’m sure most professional teachers have me beat by a long shot.) I love that this cowl looks like a triangular shawl when it’s finished and I want to be able to wear it. So I will persevere!

This is the state of my Junction sweater (my recent blog post on the situation). I settled down at the dining room table a few weeks ago and unwound the whole thing while trying to get caught up on All Creatures Great and Small.

I haven’t tried swatching again because I’m really nervous. I’ve been reminded that I’m a serious dunce when it comes to gauge because I’m already second-guessing the second gauge measurement I took from the finished garment. So I’m going to experiment by going up AND down a needle size to see which gets me closer to where I need to be… but there’s a pretty good chance that I’m going to run out of yarn if I swatch too much. Gauge has been my nemesis since about 2003, so this isn’t a new feeling for me. But still. You’d think I would have learned a thing or two in the last twenty years?

But I’ve got the sock gauge thing all figured out and have been happily knitting on these during storytime every week (my Ravelry link with details). They’re moving slowly because there are some weeks when Bronwyn wants me to sit on the rug with her in my lap and it’s not possible to knit, but there are other weeks when I can sit in a corner and do my own thing. So here we are.

And one more thing! My Katrinkles hibernating animals stitch markers arrived this week. They are so cute and I can’t wait to start using them. Cute tools are another motivator for me!

---

I think we’re expecting some sunshine this weekend! I hope you are, too. I’m planning to be back on Monday with some sort of update (inspiration welcome). Until then – take good care.